Badgers Season Comes to an End on Final Play

Photo: Kingston Douthit attempts to beat the tag by Tuffy Callandar

The Prescott Badgers and their fans were primed for another comeback win in the bottom of the seventh, but it was not to be as the #14 Flagstaff Eagles held on to upset #3 Prescott 7-6 on a game ending double play dashing the Badgers title hopes.

Trailing 7-5 going into the bottom of the seventh, Prescott needed two runs to tie to send the game into extra innings or three to win it. With one out, Cooper Magnett and Travis Gates both walked. On the edge of their seats, the Badgers and their faithful erupted when Colton Champion hit a blast into the gap for an RBI double, scoring Magnett and pulling Prescott to within one at 7-6. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction for another walk-off win.

Photo: Parker Reed reacts after striking out the final batter in the top of the seventh with catcher Jacob Patterson

Pitcher Parker Reed, who had given some momentum to the Badgers dugout by getting to the final two outs, including one strikeout in the top of the inning, was coming up. Reed was able to battle, even fouling off some tough deliveries by reliever Jace Adams.

Reed connected on a pitch out over the plate, sending it in the air to right field, but the ball got held up by a gust of the wind, giving right fielder Toryn Phillips time to get under the ball and make the catch. Kingston Douthit, who was a pinch runner for Gates, took off from third base and was going to be the tying run, but Phillips delivered the ball in plenty of time to catcher Tuffy Callandar who caught the ball on the first base side of the plate, quickly turning and reaching out to tag Douthit for the final out.

The Eagles jubilation immediately followed and the Badgers were stunned into silence. We all witnessed what had just took place, but nobody in the home crowd wanted to believe it. How could that be? Prescott was a great team, winning the Grand Canyon Region, undefeated at home, and a number three seed, with good players poised and used to delivering when needed. Unfortunately, one of the best baseball teams Prescott has had will not get to play another game. Their title hopes squashed with a shocking ending at Prescott High School.

The last three losses the team suffered were all by one run and with the tying runs at third base. The final two both 7-6 defeats at the hands of Flagstaff.

First year Prescott Coach Jason “Hutch” Hutchens said, “Give Flagstaff credit. They came in here and did what they had to do. I am proud of our boys and how they carried themselves the entire season. It’s tough to get beat like this and so early in the playoffs. We lost two power point games by one run and another one here today. It’s tough.”

Second baseman Cooper Magnett said, “This is hard. This game is not a true reflection of how good this team is. We created bonds that will last a lifetime. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Love these guys. It just sucks that it ended this way, but it was a special year.” Magnett closed out his senior season with a .508 batting average, with one home run and 25 RBIs.

Senior lefty pitcher Parker Reed went (2-0) with a 0.00 ERA this season. He had 14 strikeouts, allowed just two hits, in just nine innings of work. Reed said, “I just wanted to come in a make something good happen. I was able to get the outs and thought that gave us a lift coming to bat. After Colton doubled in Cooper, we were ready to finish this with another walk-off. I battled and I thought I got enough of it to get it out there far enough, but that wind killed it.”

Junior pitcher and DH, Travis Gates said this about the final play, “There was a gust of wind that blew that ball in and I thought that Kingston was able to get his hand around the tag, but the umpire was closer.” About before the game, “I felt we were loose and felt comfortable going into the game. We just couldn’t produce enough today.” Gates closed out this season with a .383 batting average and was (3-1) on the mound with an ERA of 2.36.

Adrian Sanderford closed out his senior season with a home run and team leading 32 RBIs, and batted .424. On the mound he threw the most innings and went (4-3). Sanderford said, “I came into this game with the same approach as I did when I pitched against them before. I am still trying to process this thing right now. I have been playing with most of these guys since I was ten. It is just hard to think that this is it for us here.”

Flagstaff took a 2-0 lead on three singles, including an RBI single by Brody Johnson scoring Wil Carpenter and Tuffy Collandar off of Badger starter Adrian Sanderford. The Eagles added one in the third to lead 3-0 when Collandar scored again on a single by Johnson.

The Badgers finally got to Flagstaff pitcher Connor Iniguez, scoring four runs to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning. A pair of RBI singles by both Luke Tobin and Dom Cruz scored two to give Prescott their first lead.

Photo: Colton Champion stands at second base after his RBI double in the seventh

Prescott added a run to go up 5-3 in the fifth when Colton Champion doubled in Cooper Magnett who reached base on an error.

Flagstaff took advantage of a Badger error and some free passes, and a couple of hit it where they ain’t, to score four runs to take a 7-5 lead, creating some nervousness in the home town crowd.

Prescott looked like they had something going in the bottom of the sixth, but runners interference was called on the Badgers because the player did not slide, resulting in a double play to end a promising inning. That also allowed Iniguez to come out and start to pitch in the seventh inning before he reached his pitch count limit.

Photo: Adrian Sanderford gets a fist bump from Coach Rick Davis in the top of the seventh inning as Nick Martin, catcher Jacob Patterson, Ivan Schuster, and Ashton Whitwell look on

Sanderford came back out and got the first out of the seventh, before giving way to Reed who did exactly what Prescott needed, closing out a clean inning and getting the team back into the dugout for a potential comeback. The effort was there, just not the result.

Once the dust finally settles, the players should be very proud of what they accomplished on the field this season. It was an exciting year and the memories of those 17 wins will be remembered for many years to come.

FLAGSTAFF EAGLES 7, PRESCOTT BADGERS 6

Innings- 123 456 7 – R H E

Flagstaff 201 004 0 – 7 13 3

Prescott 000 410 1 – 6 10 1

WP: Iniguez

LP:Sanderford

#9 Bradshaw Mountain at #8 Crismon

Flagstaff’s win over Prescott was only one of five upsets in the eight games played in the first round in the 4A Division. The Bears came up with a mild upset as #9 Bradshaw Mountain beat the #8 Crismon Rattlers in Queen Creek 13-9.

Garison Jones hit for the cycle and had five RBIs to lead the 20 hit attack by the Bears. Caden Randall, Dylan Williams each had three hits with Williams hitting a home run and a double. Four other players, Donovan Bayard, Ty Young, Isaiah Avila, and Dylan Lockwood all had two hits each as Bradshaw Mountain had seven extra base hits in the game.

The Bears used three pitchers in Jeremy Reynolds, Nitesh Patel, and Dylan Lockwood, with Reynolds picking up the win.

Easton Wilsford had a home run and five RBIs for Crismon. AAden Lopez was held to just one single. Wilsford took the loss giving upo seven runs in 2.1 innings of work.

It gets tougher today as Bradshaw Mountain travels to Tucson to face the top seeded Salpointe Catholic Lancers at 4pm.

BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN BEARS 13, CRISMON RATTLERS 9

Innings- 123 456 7 – R H E

Bradshaw Mountain 236 110 0 – 13 20 2

Crismon 200 610 0 – 9 9 2

WP:Reynolds

LP:Wilsford

HR: Jones (2), Williams (1), Wilsford (1)

4A DIVISION PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD-First Round

#10 Saguaro 10, #7 ALA-Gilbert North 9

#2 ALA-Queen Creek 5, #15 Mica Mountain 4

#12 Mesquite 13, #4 Cactus Shadows 10